


Taking Flight

by wordbending



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Genre: Bittersweet Ending, Camping, Elaine writes a het ship???, F/M, Fluff and Angst, it's more likely than you think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:33:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23190217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordbending/pseuds/wordbending
Summary: Medli has learned that she is the Earth Sage, and with it, comes a journey she never could have prepared for.But it's not the monsters that scare her - it's the responsibilites she's left behind, and the strange feelings she has towards her trusted friend that she can't quite understand.
Relationships: Link/Medli, Link/Tetra (Legend of Zelda)
Kudos: 17





	Taking Flight

The sun was setting, and I was falling asleep, nestling my head in my wings. The rhythm of the boat - the King of Red Lions, Link had called it - had become, rather than a cause of seasickness, soothing and steady. And the distance between islands was so long, our course so slow, that I could not help but find myself nodding off. Link was an able travelling companion, but he was not the extremely talkative sort, and there was not much to speak of out on the ocean.

I am halfway to sleep when Link calls out, loudly, “Stone Watcher Island! Let’s camp here!” and I am so startled that I stand to my feet, causing the boat to rock violently. It’s only Link reaching out and grabbing me, his arms wrapped around my waist, that keeps me from the misfortune of tumbling into the water.

He immediately releases me and scratches the back of his head, an awkward grin on his red face. I cannot tell if it is because he is embarrassed that he nearly caused me to fall or embarrassed that he held me in such a manner. I feel my own cheeks redden, and I am not sure which reason they do either.

As we slowly drift towards Stone Watcher Island, Link speaks up. He is looking towards the island, not towards me, but I can see that his face is still red.

“S-sorry about that, Miss Medli,” he says.

I think again of Link holding me and swallow the ball that forms in my throat. My cheeks burn brighter, and I look towards the floor of the boat. “O-oh. There is no need to apologize, Link. If I had fallen into the water, that would have been most unfortunate. We Rito may be able to fly, but we are much less adept at swimming.”

I intend it to be a joke, but Link does not seem less embarrassed.

“I, um, I meant... for startling you,” he explains, still without looking my direction.

“Ah, right,” I reply awkwardly. “Of course.”

Without another word, he lowers the sail and slowly lets the boat drift towards the island until it is close enough for him to wade into the water. I wait for him to come around the side of the boat, where he offers his hand to me to help me climb over the side. It is not that I am incapable of climbing out myself, but he insists on the gesture, and I am not one to argue.

I wade onto the island, my talons becoming soaked with the freezing ocean water, and slowly begin to climb up the steep, rocky hills that lead onto its surface. Behind me, I hear Link speaking with the King of Red Lions as he gathers camping supplies from its (or perhaps “his?”) back. As always, the bundle of camping supplies looks thick and heavy, and I wonder if it was always so, or if he purchased extras especially for me. I wonder, even, if he had camping supplies at all before our journey from Dragon Roost, or if he merely slept in the boat. I can’t claim that I’d be very surprised.

“Link, would you like me to carry some of those?” I offer, looking down at him as he slowly makes his way up the hill with the supplies. “I would very much like to be useful to you...”

Link shakes his head, although the bundle of supplies is so tall I can barely see his face. “No, it’s fine! I’ve got it.”

“Very well,” I reply quietly, wringing my hands.

We soon start to set up camp on the lowest ring of the island, not making our way very far inland. The island is an intimidating surface - surrounded by monsters in ships and on faraway platforms, with tall spires of rock leading to what seems to have once been an ancient structure. All that remains is a giant stone head, which stares out at the ocean with an unflinching gaze.

Link seems to have trouble with camping, which only makes me suspect all the more that he is not used to it. It takes him a long time to set up the tent, which falls over several times. He has trouble lighting the campfire with flint and eventually resorts to firing a flaming arrow at it. He realizes he forgot the metal wok and has to return to the boat to retrieve it, although he has no trouble carrying it thanks to his Power Bracelets. When he returns, he has to chase off a band of miniblins that have begun to encroach on the campsite.

All the while, I wish I could do more to aid him. I feel useless standing aside while he does all the work, but I know nothing of camping either - I have never left Dragon Roost before this day. If only I was more like my kin... if only a true adventurer, a seasoned traveller, was here, instead of someone like myself.

Link wipes his brow and looks out over the campsite, the campfire our only source of light. He seems proud of himself, and he looks at me with that pride written all over his face.

“Pretty good, huh, Medli?” he says with a grin, hands on his hips.

“Oh, yes!” I agree sincerely, clapping my hands together. “It looks wonderful, Link.”

“You must be hungry, right?” he says, before rushing off towards the tent. “Just a minute!”

I sit on my knees in front of the campfire, warming my feathers in the freezing night air as I wait for him to return. It takes more than a few minutes, but eventually, he emerges with a tied knapsack. 

“I thought I had some of Grandma’s soup left,” he explains with a sheepish smile. “But I guess I drank it...”

“Oh, it’s alright,” I say, returning his smile. “I am not very hungry.”

Of course, at that moment, my stomach betrays me.

“You don’t have to lie to me, Medli...” Link says with a soft frown. “Besides, I’ve got supplies! Grandma gave me all the ingredients.”

Link grins again.

“Didn’t teach me how to make it though!”

“...Oh dear.” I stand up. “Don’t worry, I can help.”

Link gasps, sounding more childish than ever. “You can cook?!”

I have to resist the urge to giggle, but I do smile, my cheeks growing warm again. “Of course I can cook, Link. I have to take care of the fledglings at Dragon Roost... it is one of my responsibilities to prepare them meals. And, as an attendant to Komali as well as a future attendant to the Great Valoo... it is important that I know how to make food properly.”

Link nods rapidly and attentively. “That makes sense. I just throw everything in the pot.”

I stare at him, but it is clear he is being serious. 

“Don’t... don’t you burn yourself?” I say at last.

“Nope! I jump away before I get splashed with anything.”

“Well, I’ll teach you a... um... better method,” I reply. “Please, show me the ingredients.”

Link unwraps the knapsack and lays it out on the ground. I see bread, a large number of vegetables such as squash, cauliflower, and carrots, a bottle of cucco broth, and even crushed rock salt and pepper as spices.

“I know it’s a lot,” says Link, “but Grandma’s soup is really good!”

“Do you remember how she made it?” I ask.

Link shakes his head. “Nope. I wasn’t allowed near the kitchen when she made it because of one time where I stuck my finger in the soup pot.”

“That must have hurt...” I say, with some sympathy.

“Eh, it’s OK,” he says with a laugh. “I was just a little kid back then.”

I let out a forlorn, somewhat nostalgic sigh, unable to keep myself from smiling. He  _ is  _ still a child. He speaks just like Komali, so sure that he is grown up - they resemble each other so much sometimes.

“At any rate,” I say, “we should start by melting the butter and cooking the yellow onion and the garlic.”

Link nods. “So I throw those in the pot?”

“Er... no, I am afraid it is not done quite like that...”

* * *

“Cheers!” Link shouts out, holding out his bottle of freshly-made soup, yellow with green onions for garnish, high up towards the sky.

“Ah, yes. Of course. Cheers,” I say, taking my own bottle and lifting it up.

“No, Medli! You’ve got to have poor enthusiasm! Uh, I mean, more enthusiasm!”

“Yes, of course! Cheers!” I say, much louder, lifting it up higher until it clinks against his. Link grins and raises the bottle to his mouth, drinking his soup in huge, long gulps. I take mine and raise it to my beak, drinking it slowly.

Link stares at me for a moment, even though the bottle is still lifted to his lips, as if waiting for my approval. And, on cue, the taste hits me with a sharp gasp - the light touch of the salt and pepper, the creaminess of the broth, the tart flavor of the vegetables... it has to be the best soup I’ve ever drank.

“Good, right?!” says Link excitably, a bit of soup running down his chin. 

“Oh, yes!” I agree, beaming. “Your grandmother makes excellent soup.”

“You mean  _ you  _ make excellent soup,” Link corrects me. “We should call it Medli’s Soup this time!”

I can’t help but laugh. I walk over to him and, with my fingers, brush off the soup running down his chin before it gets on his tunic. He squirms a bit under my touch, though I think nothing much of the gesture, nor as to why he is uncomfortable.

“Medli’s Soup,” I say with a smile. “Well, I do not wish to take credit for the recipe...”

“A-ah, yeah,” Link says, taking a step back from me. I still don’t understand why, much less why he is blushing. I merely touched his cheek... “I guess not, huh?”

“At any rate, Link,” I say, without pressing further, “we should eat our bread. Fibre is important.”

Link nods rapidly - I’m not sure he understands what fibre is, and perhaps he will merely think of it as a part of clothing - and starts to devour his bread. I take nibbles out of mine, not wanting to make a mess, and something about that seems to amuse Link.

“What is so funny?” I ask, confused.

“My grandma says my sister eats like a bird,” he says, the smile as evident on his face as in his voice. “But I guess you  _ really  _ eat like a bird!”

He laughs. I blush, of course, not sure if I should feel embarrassed or why, and Link looks apologetic.

“Oh, sorry...” he says, shifting awkwardly. He quickly looks around, and then raises his fist in front of himself with a serious expression. “W-we should tell ghost stories!”

I raise my eyebrows. Obviously, he is trying to distract from his faux pas, but...

“Ghost stories?”

“Yeah, you know! Like Poes and Redeads and stuff.”

I take another nibble of my bread and consider this.

“I am not good at telling stories...”

“No way! You had to have told stories to Komali, right?” He grins. “I bet you’re great at telling them.”

I look into his grinning face, and I can hardly bring myself to turn him down, despite my misgivings. I cough into my wing, adjust myself, and begin to speak.

“Ah, er, it is said... that is, legends speak... of the, um, the... Slash-Slinging Masher.”

Link leans forward attentively.

“It is said that, ah, that Riito children who... wander too far from Dragon Roost, or who, um disobey their guardians? Will meet the Slash-Slinging Masher.”

Link nods. He seems surprisingly into this story, considering I’m completely making it up.

“What  _ is  _ the Mash-Slinging Slasher?”

“The Slash-Slinging Masher,” I correct. “He is a...” I think hard for a moment. “A pirate.”

“But pirates are nice,” Link says.

“An  _ evil  _ pirate,” I continue. “He has no skin or muscle - he’s nothing but bone. And he has... um, four arms, which he uses to... carry four swords!”

“Four swords?!” Link shouts, before slumping and crossing his arms. “I want four swords... maybe I can learn from him!”

“No, no, you do not want to do that!” I continue, scooting closer to him. “For, if you meet the Slash-Slinging Masher, he will... um... uh...”

Link waits in anticipation.

“Cut off your wings! All of them! And then you won’t be able to fly!”

Link stares.

“And then he will, er, mash you! Like a potato! You’ll be squashed! You’ll be crushed! You’ll be flattened!”

Link gasps, covering his mouth with his hands.

“You’ll be smeckledorfed?!”

“That isn’t even a word, but yes!”

Link breaks into giggles, then laughter, and I start to giggle as well, unable to help myself.

“I am sorry, Link...” I say, placing my hands back in my lap and staring at the ground. “That was not very scary, I suppose.”

“It was really funny, though!” he says with a smile. “I guess it’s my turn.” He opens his mouth, and then looks alarmed. “Oh, wait!”

“What is it?”

“My grandma gave me something else. We’ve got to try it!”

I tilt my head. He reaches down for his bag and fishes around in it before taking out two large white squares. I don’t realize at first that they’re supposed to be food.

“What are these?” I say, trying not to turn up my beak at them.

“Marshmallows!” he says with another grin. “You put sticks in them and warm them up on the fire. It’s fun!”

He stuffs the “marshmallow” into my hand. I have no idea what it is or how it’s made, but before I can say anything, Link has already run off.

He returns a few minutes later with two sticks and sits down right next to me. I try not to blush, even though, as before, I am unsure as to why I would.

“So... how does this work?” I offer.

Link takes my hand with the marshmallow in it, closing it in his, and helps me to impale it on the end of the stick. Then he does the same to his own, without moving away from his seat next to me.

I can’t help but stare at his face, silhouetted in the night sky, in the firelight. It’s so young and boyish, as round as the moon, and yet... there’s a slight maturity to it, as if he’s somehow older than he is. It’s striking, so striking I don’t even realize he’s started to speak.

I listen to him quietly, as he tells a creepy story about a ghost ship that wanders the Great Sea, and wonder what the feelings are in my heart.

* * *

That night, I don’t have dreams of ghost ships or skeleton pirates.

That night, I dream of a storm.

That night, I dream of Komali.

I dream of him flying through the darkness, lightning tearing apart the sky around him. Wind strikes at him, casting him back and forth like a child’s toy, and yet, he continues to fly. I do not know his destination. I only know that he is alone.

I want to fly to him. I want to grab him in my arms and carry him to safety, even if it costs me my own life. But, somehow, I feel detached from him. I feel as if, even though I can see him so clearly, I have no idea where he is, where I am, or how to reach him.

That’s when the lightning bolt strikes him directly, the clap of thunder only drowned out by my scream of terror.

I awake with a start, hand clutching my heart, my eyes looking around wildly for any sign of Komali. But all I see is Link, laying under the tent on a makeshift mat of old clothes and fabric. Thunder claps outside - no doubt the cause of my bad dream.

Careful not to disturb him, I exit the tent and put some distance between us. It’s not a very large island, but it still takes some effort to climb the cliffs and slopes to reach the highest point, especially for a Rito. I don’t dare to fly. Almost no Rito would fly in this weather. But there is no question that I need to be alone for a while. I am willing to bear the coldness of the rain for that much.

Once I reach the top of the island, only the smallest protection from the rain given to me by the structure at its peak, I sit on my knees and let the rest of the rain wash over me. It only takes a moment before I am sniffling and wiping my eyes, unable to tell the difference between the rain on my face and the tears on my cheeks. I feel like a monster has reached into my chest and squeezed my heart dry. The giant stone head towering over me, the eponymous "Stone Watcher," offers me little comfort - I feel small and humiliated under its gaze, as if I am younger than I am.

From the darkness, a voice calls out.

“Miss Medli! Miss Medli, are you OK?”

I hurriedly wipe at my eyes, even though there is no point to doing so, and I turn and face the direction of the voice. Of course, it is Link, hurriedly rushing towards me. He looks distressed, I note - more than his voice already suggests. I quickly smile to reassure him.

“I am alright, Link,” I say, thunder rumbling overhead as if the god of storms himself is contradicting my words.

“Medli, it’s OK,” Link says, smiling back. “You don’t have to put on a brave face for me. You’re soaking wet, and you’re all alone, and I heard crying... I was worried you’d got attacked by monsters, but at this rate, you’re going to get a cold!”

He reaches into his knapsack and pulls out a massive green leaf, as large as his entire body, and places it over my head to block the rain.

“Let’s go back to the camp,” he says gently, offering his other hand to me, and I find myself blushing deeply as I take it and he lifts me to my feet. Again, these feelings... I do not understand their origin.

I smile, once again, to try and hide the emotions within me.

“Yes. That sounds like it would be best.”

* * *

We walk steadily across the island, my talons squelching as they dig into the muddy grass. Occasionally, we have to climb down cliffsides, which is even harder than climbing up them - although Link helps as best he can, it is nonetheless difficult.

For the most part, we are silent, but eventually, Link speaks.

“Miss Medli, um, if you don’t mind me asking... why did you go all the way up there?”

I pause, considering my words. But, despite my misgivings, Link deserves to hear the truth.

“I had a bad dream. A nightmare.”

I almost expect him to scoff or laugh, but those would be very strange things for him to do. He instead nods seriously.

“What was it about?”

“Komali. I fear that I have left him alone, and without me... he will be lost. He will...” My breath hitches for just a moment, and I stare down at the soaked, grass-covered cliffside beneath us. “Get hurt. And I will...” I think, again, of the image of him being struck by lightning, and I can’t help but raise a clenched fist to my heart. “Be responsible...”

Link makes a hmm sound, and then starts to descend the cliff. I follow carefully behind.

“Miss Medli,” he says after a moment.

“Yes, Link?”

“I remember feeling that way all the time.”

My surprise is so obvious that I let go of my foothold and nearly fall on my rear. Instead, Link, already at the bottom, catches me and sets me back on my feet. 

“You do...?” I say, dazed.

He nods, smiling forlornly. “Yeah. It’s not all the way the same, I guess, but... my sister got kidnapped. And I felt like I had to save her, or she’d... get hurt. I blamed myself the whole time. When I finally rescued her, I was so relieved!”

I nod in return. “I see.”

“I’m trying to say, it’ll be OK. Just like with Aryll. And I met Komali, and... he’s strong, and brave, and stubborn. You raised him really well.” He grins. “I can see where he gets it from!”

I blush for quite a different reason than before, cupping a cheek in one hand. “W-well, goodness, Link, you make me sound like a mother...”

“Well, that’s OK,” he says, “because I think you make a good mom.” That’s more than enough, but then he continues, obliviously, turning back to smile his boyish smile at me, “If I had kids, I’d want you to be their mom!”

My heart skips several beats as I stare into his smiling face.

_ Oh,  _ I think. _Oh._

I have recognized the nature of the feelings in my heart.

I love him.

I love Link.

“We’re here!” he announces, stepping into the tent. He beckons me inside, and for a moment, I stand there. The rain around me pitters from a torrent to a light drizzle, and the stars emerge from the clouds.

Then I smile and enter the tent.

I know I cannot act upon the feelings in my heart. Nevermind that I am a humble Rito girl, I am also a Sage. It is my duty to serve the hero - to be his ally. The whims of other Rito, with their boyfriends and girlfriends, are unknown to me, a world apart from the world in which I now live.

But... it still makes me happy, to be his friend. That is enough for now.

* * *

We pass through the trials and terrors of the Earth Temple together, and Link defeats the monster that guards it. It is my duty, then, my responsibility, to wait there, and to pray to strengthen the Master Sword so that it may act as the blade of evil’s bane. 

And yet, when Link makes to leave, I cannot let him go. I call out his name, and before he steps into the light and disappears, he turns towards me.

I walk over to him, and I hug him tightly, and he blushes more than I’ve ever seen him blush before. But it is almost nothing compared to when I lean over and plant a kiss on his cheek with my beak.

He scratches the back of his head, clearly embarrassed, and I step away without saying another word. I have said all I need to say.

He speaks, however. As he steps into the light, he turns to me and he promises he will return safely.

I pray all the harder for that to be true.

* * *

Many, many months later, he does return, to my home of Dragon Roost. He doesn’t look much older, but he  _ feels  _ older somehow, as if he’s grown in spirit what he hasn’t in stature. To my surprise, he’s come alone, without his friend Tetra or any of his other companions.

And he’s come to see  _ me. _

I am the official attendant to the Great Valoo now. There are many children under my care, nevermind the dragon himself, and much has changed. But he insists on seeing me alone, in the place where we first met, and I oblige his request. It is hardly as if I could say no to the Hero of Winds, after all.

But what surprises me most of all is when he gets on his knee, takes out a golden feather, and asks for my hand in marriage.

“I... I cannot, Link,” I say, closing my hands over his, over the golden feather. “I am sorry. I... I have too many responsibilities, and I cannot leave Dragon Roost, and...”

I realize I am, once again, crying in front of him. I had recently rejected Komali’s proposal in much the same way, knowing even then who my heart belonged to - perhaps I should have known this would hurt as much as it did.

“It’s OK,” he says with a smile, standing back up. He reaches for my cheeks and wipes my tears away, and I am struck this time by that he looks older than I thought. One can almost see the hairs on his face, the angularity coming to his features. “I understand if we can’t be together.” He scratches the back of his head in that way he always does. “I guess I kind of jumped into things... I don’t even know if you feel the same way.”

In lieu of a reply, I grab him by the tunic, pull him towards me, and kiss him on the lips. He stands stock-still for several seconds, and then he wraps his small, delicate hands in my hair and kisses me back.

We break away after only a moment.

“I do,” I tell him. “But I cannot be with you. Link, please... if you love me... then...” I smile at him. “Go be free. Find someone who can journey with you. Find someone who can fly with you... who can be your companion on distant shores.”

Link smiles widely and pulls me into a hug. I hug him in return.

“I will. I promise.”

* * *

He visits me yearly after that, always a little older, always a little wiser. Soon enough, I hardly recognize the boy I knew, the boy who politely called me “Miss Medli” and told me ghost stories while cooking marshmallows.

One year, he arrives with children... tiny babes, no larger than a freshly-hatched Rito, with skin darker than Link’s own. I coo over them as if they were my own, and he tells me the news, that he has married Tetra. That he has founded a new island, a new Hyrule, far across the sea. He asks me if I will visit.

I tell him that, perhaps one day, I will.

When he leaves that year, I feel an ache in my heart I can’t describe. I am happy for him, and yet...

I wonder, as I sometimes do, what would have happened if our fates had been different.


End file.
